Here in Aus. we have been governed for the last 11 years by a political party that was in denial about energy and carbon, along with many other denials too. What that has meant, is that we haven't been making alternative plans for a post oil world. Unlike the article I have cut and pasted below most of us wont have the privilege to go carve ourselves out a farm in the hills and live off the land. We have to find collective solutions that do not include oil.
Recently a state politician of the labor conviction a minister no less. Argued in cabinet that offering subsidies for solar power should be cut, because it would make electricity distribution to the no solar assisted homes more expensive. And he won his case.
If governments hadn't sold off the utility suppliers, in the name of competition is a better way to supply cheaper services. The government could of taken some control over supply and costs and still provided that subsidy.
These important decisions that are becoming increasingly pressing and urgent to resolve, have been hijacked by economists and experts, who are hung up on profits and incentives. Despite the blatantly obvious changing world around them and a need at least during this time of change. [From carbon based energy. to renewable] to have government intervention to maintain supply and develop alternatives. Then if we are again in a period of stability and have a guaranteed energy supply we once again can contemplate some sort of deregulation.
So have a read below how some of the better off are going to set themselves up for the future. I'm thinking about driving my fuel efficient car.
Woof.
Samantha Gross,
A few years ago, Kathleen Breault was just another suburban grandma, driving countless hours every week, stopping for lunch at McDonald's, buying clothes at the mall, watching TV in the evenings.
That was before Breault heard an author talk about the bleak future of the world's oil supply. Now, she is preparing for the world as we know it to disappear.
Breault cut her driving time in half. She switched to a diet of locally grown foods near her upstate
"I was panic-stricken," the 50-year-old recalled, her voice shaking.
"Devastated. Depressed. Afraid. Vulnerable. Weak. Alone. Just terrible."
Convinced the planet's oil supply is dwindling and the world's economies are heading for a crash, some people around the country are moving onto homesteads, learning to live off their land, conserving fuel and, in some cases, stocking up on guns they expect to use to defend themselves and their supplies from desperate crowds of people who did not prepare.
The exact number of people taking such steps is impossible to determine, but anecdotal evidence suggests that the movement has been gaining momentum in the last few years.
These energy survivalists are not leading some sort of green revolution meant to save the planet. Many of them believe it is too late for that, seeing signs in soaring fuel and food prices and a faltering
Some are doing it quietly, giving few details of their preparations - afraid that revealing such information as the location of their supplies will endanger themselves and their loved ones.
They envision a future in which
"There's going to be things that happen when people can't get things that they need for themselves and their families," said Lynn-Marie, who believes cities could see a rise in violence as early as 2012.
Lynn-Marie asked to be identified by her first name to protect her homestead in rural western
These survivalists believe in "peak oil," the idea that world oil production is set to hit a
But many scientists say such a scenario will be avoided as other sources of energy come in to fill the void.
On the PeakOil.com web site, where upward of 800 people gathered on recent evenings, believers engage in a debate about what kind of world awaits.
Some members argue there will be no financial crash, but a slow slide into harder times. Some believe the federal government will respond to the loss of energy security with a clampdown on personal freedoms. Others simply don't trust that the government can maintain basic services in the face of an energy crisis.
The powers that be, they've determined, will be largely powerless to stop what is to come.
Determined to guard themselves from potentially harsh times ahead, Lynn-Marie and her husband have already planted an orchard of about 40 trees and built a greenhouse on their three hectares. They have built their own irrigation system. They've begun to raise chickens and pigs, and they've learned to slaughter them.
The couple have got rid of their TV and instead have been reading dusty old books published in their grandparents' era, books that explain the simpler lifestyle they are trying to revive. Lynn-Marie has been teaching herself how to make soap.
Her husband, concerned about one day being unable to get medications, has been training to become a herbalist.
By 2012, they expect to power their property with solar panels, and produce their own meat, milk and vegetables. When things start to fall apart, they expect their children and grandchildren will come back home and help them work the land.
She envisions a day when the family may have to decide whether to turn needy people away from their door.
"People will be unprepared," she said. "And we can imagine marauding hordes."
So can Peter Laskowski. Living in a woodsy area outside of
"I decided there was nothing like getting the training myself to deal with insurrections, if that's a possibility," said the former executive recruiter.
Laskowski is taking steps similar to environmentalists: conserving fuel, consuming less, studying global warming, and relying on local produce and craftsmen. Laskowski is powering his home with solar panels and is raising fish, geese, ducks and sheep. He has planted apple and pear trees and is growing lettuce, spinach and corn.
Whenever possible, he uses his bicycle to get into town.
Whenever possible, he uses his bicycle to get into town.
"I remember the oil crisis in '73; I remember waiting in line for gas," Laskowski said. "If there is a disruption in the oil supply it will be very quickly elevated into a disaster."
Breault said she hopes to someday band together with her neighbours to form a self-sufficient community. Women will always be having babies, she notes, and she imagines her skills as a midwife will always be in demand.
For now, she is readying for the more immediate work ahead: There's a root cellar to dig, fruit trees and vegetable plots to plant. She has put a bicycle on layaway, and soon she'll be able to bike to visit her grandkids even if there is no oil at the pump.
Whatever the shape of things yet to come, she said, she's done what she can to prepare.
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